CVE-2023-2156

A flaw was found in the networking subsystem of the Linux kernel within the handling of the RPL protocol. This issue results from the lack of proper handling of user-supplied data, which can lead to an assertion failure. This may allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to create a denial of service condition on the system.

Weakness

The product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary.

Affected Software

Extended Description

While assertion is good for catching logic errors and reducing the chances of reaching more serious vulnerability conditions, it can still lead to a denial of service. For example, if a server handles multiple simultaneous connections, and an assert() occurs in one single connection that causes all other connections to be dropped, this is a reachable assertion that leads to a denial of service.

Potential Mitigations

References

• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/05/17/8
• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/05/17/9
• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/05/18/1
• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/05/19/1
• https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2196292
• https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00001.html
• https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230622-0001/
• https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5448
• https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5453
• https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-23-547/